WeatherWizard

Posted by Max Lehmann on February 8, 2016

What is WeatherWizard?

WeatherWizard is not your average weather app. Our malware researchers took a good look at this program after receiving numerous complaints and now they recommend everyone to remove it since this program features an undesirable additional function of displaying a fake Blue Screen of Death error. However, this error only appears as such, because WeatherWizard does not actually provoke it. This application is not considered malicious, but we do not recommend keeping it either, especially since its fake BSOD promotes a certain phone number “for technical support.” So it is plain to see that it is a scam program. For more information about it, please read this whole description. test test test

Where does WeatherWizard come from?

Thankfully, this application does not have a dedicated distribution website, because it would only make matters worse. WeatherWizard is popular as it is, so we do not want to see it becoming even more prominent. Still, it has to be distributed somehow, so after doing some digging, our researchers came up with a possible explanation.

They say that this application is distributed via bundled software that is put up for download on questionable free ware distribution websites. It may come with either legitimate or malicious program such as adware, but the good news is that you should be able to remove it from the installation setup by opting for advanced installation settings and unticking its respective checkbox. On top of that, this program’s download may be promoted via ads from adware-type programs, so be sure to scan your computer for adware as it might be the culprit here.

How does WeatherWizard work?

Probably the most deceiving aspect of this program is that it functions as you would expect. It gets its weather information from Wunderground.com, so it is as reliable as weather forecasts can be. Oddly enough, this program only works for those who enter their postal code. However, even then it does not work for those who are outside of the US, so it is a US Exclusive PUP.

Furthermore, it collects information about your computer’s hardware and uses it to display the Blue Screen of Death errors. However, as mentioned, those errors are fictitious, and their purpose is to give you the impression that there is something wrong with your computer. So if you have this application press Alt+F4 while it shows you the fake error window to close it.

Again, this application was created with the intention to scam gullible PC users. The provided phone number may be a premium-rate. So it can be very expensive to call. Moreover, that is the whole point of this scam. Its developers make money when you dial that number, and you get big phone bills.

Thus, you should get rid of this application. However, there are a few things you should know. In addition to installing files in the Program Files folder, it will also inject some files to C:\Windows\ — a place where no legitimate program is supposed to place files. These files do not get deleted once you uninstall WeatherWizard via Control Panel. The files you have to delete are:

amdave64Win.exe, sc.bat, SysFix.exe, SysFix1.exe, winLoad32.exe, winupd.exe, MyTrayApp.exe, bs.exe, bs1.exe, win.exe.

How to remove WeatherWizard?

So even though WeatherWizard is capable of providing you with accurate weather information, you still should not keep it due to its fake BSOD errors that try to trick you into dialing a premium-rate phone number for non-existent technical support. So, you must first uninstall it via Control Panel and then deal with the leftover files as shown in our guide below.